Page 24 - Advances in Renewable Energies and Power Technologies

Introduction

The exponential growth of industrialization and economic development increases
thedemandtoenergy [1]. Energy resources are classified into three categories: the
fossil fuels, the renewable resources, and the nuclear resources [2]. While nuclear
energy produces toxic substances that threat the human health and the environment
and requires the use of huge quantity of water [3], the fossil fuels are limited, their
price is variable, and they generate emissions, which cause global warming and
climate change [4]. This situation is the main driving force behind the use of
renewable energy sources (RESs) [5]. In fact, RESs can be defined as clean sources
of energy that minimizes environmental impacts, produces minimum or zero
secondary wastes, and is sustainable based on the energetic, economic, and social
needs [6]. Indeed, the RES is characterized by the diversity in energy supply
options [7], less dependence on fossil fuels [8], the increase in net employment,
the creation of export markets [9], the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,
and climate change [10,11]. RESs include, among others, solar, wind, geothermal,
biomass, hydropower, and marine energies [12,13].
According to the report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) of 2016, RESs
account for a rising share of the world’s total electricity supply, and they are the
fastest-growing source of electricity generation in the IEO2016 [9]. Indeed, the total
generation of electricity from renewable resources increases by 2.9%/year, as the
renewable share of world electricity generation grows from 22% in 2012 to 29%
in 2040 [9]. Electricity generation from nonhydropower renewables is the predom-
inant source of the increase, rising by an average of 5.7%/year and outpacing
increases in natural gas (2.7%/year), nuclear (2.4%/year), and coal (0.8%/year) [9].
The report of IEA confirmed that solar energy is the world’s fastest-growing form
of renewable energy, with net solar generation increasing by an average of 8.3%/year
[9]. Among the 5.9 trillion kWh of new renewable generation added over the projec-
tion period, hydroelectric and wind each account for 1.9 trillion kWh (33%), solar
energy for 859 billion kWh (15%), and other renewables (mostly biomass and
waste) for 856 billion kWh (14%) [9].
This book presents the recent advances in renewable energies field, in particular
for solar and wind energies. In fact, the book includes explanations of the renewable
energy generation principle first and then presents some technologies related to the
power control, fault diagnosis, energy management, and new applications.
This book contains 16 chapters, which are presented by the following preview:
Chapter 1 provides the properties of semiconductors, the operating principles of
photovoltaic (PV) cells, and their analysis and design. Fabrication and testing are
also presented.
Chapter 2 conducts a literature review on site selection of solar PV power plants.
In this chapter, more than 50 papers are studied to identify the site suitability meth-
odologies, decision criteria, and restriction factors and to deal with uncertainty in
installing utility-size solar PV.
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